


Glittery Green

by wonderfulwizardofthozz



Series: Glittery, Sparkly [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, I am TRASH for angsty reveals tbh, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Soulmate AU, and a decent portion of fluff, please don't hate it, the kids are cute though, there's a reveal, this is the first fic that I ever wrote, with a touch of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-10-08 01:52:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10375218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderfulwizardofthozz/pseuds/wonderfulwizardofthozz
Summary: This is an unabashed soulmate AU. Specifically, the one where when you write on your skin, it shows up on your soulmate in the same spot. Loosely for Marichat May because there isn't enough Marichat in the world. Technically G, T just in case.





	1. Not All That Glitters

Marinette stared at the picture on her knee. A tiny cat face was drawn—in glittery pen for the green eyes, no less—but she was certain that she'd washed if off last night. Besides, she didn't have her glitter pens out, so what was with the eyes? She licked her finger and tried to smudge it off, but it just wouldn't budge. Marinette frowned at it and glanced at the clock, quelling her panic when she remembered that it was Saturday and her only commitment was to Alya that afternoon.

Tikki sat beside her, humming an old song.

"Tikki?"

"Yes, Marinette?"

"I took a shower last night, right? Like, I know I'm forgetful, but surely I would've remembered forgetting something like that..."

"You've answered your own question, Marinette."

"Then what's this still doing here?" She motioned to the drawing that Tikki and Alya had teased her about, which is why she'd washed it off...or so she thought.

Tikki looked at it, pretending to inspect it when she knew full well what was going on. "Look, Marinette; it's fading."

Mari glanced down and watched all but a little of the doodle fade away. Realization struck her, turning her to stone. "It's a soulmate mark, Tikki."

"Do you want to find out who it is?"

"But how do I do _that_ , Tikki? What if he lives in _China_? Wait, no, China's not a problem. What if he lives in, like, Mexico or something?"

"You could always ask him."

"How?!"

"The same way you discovered his! Just write on yourself, and maybe he'll respond."

Marinette picked Tikki up and kissed her. "Tikki, you're a genius!" She scrambled for a pen and her phone to take pictures. Alya was going to be _thrilled_!

Mari uncapped the pen and hesitated. She didn't want her first words to her soulmate— _her soulmate!_ —to be cheesy. Or dorky. Or stupid. _What if they've already been stupid?_

"You can do this, Marinette. You've waited a long time for it to happen." Tikki smiled at her and urged her to write something.

She nodded and took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing."

_"Hey soulmate "_

So much for the not stupid plan.

Mari waited. What if they didn't like her handwriting? She decided that that was a stupid way to think; she'd been trying for years to get over most of her insecurities, however hard that was.

"Marinette! You're getting a response!"

She looked down and blushed. In fine cursive—and another glittery pen—was a simple reply:

_"hey there "_

Marinette chided herself for not using a prettier pen than plain black, but she couldn't just change now.

_"Can I ask who you are?"_

_"only if you tell me first"_

"Tikki, what do I tell them?"

"That you're Marinette! You don't have to jump into him knowing that you're Ladybug if you don't want to."

"You're right." She carefully wrote her name out, making sure it was legible.

_"i'm so glad i already know you"_

"Tikki, we know each other! Well, unless there's another Marinette running around. Let's face it, if there are _seven_ people who look exactly like you, then there's probably another _twenty_ or so who share your name. The odds are that maybe one of those seven and one of those twenty are the same person, so maybe we'll _both_ end up with the wrong one of us, and I'll have wasted my time. Ugh!" She flopped into a pillow.

"He wrote more, Marinette!"

She glanced at her leg again, finding more writing.

_"you know me best as chat noir_

_"your drawing of me was cute_

_"let me draw you to confirm?"_

Her heart stopped.

_"Ok"_

Soon enough—still in those obnoxious glitter pens—he'd drawn a girl with sparkling blue eyes and black pigtails.

_"That's me"_

_"hope you think i'm PAW-fection_

_"see you tonight?"_

Marinette blushed. Sure, Nathanaël had drawn her before, and Alya had done doodles of the two of them, but this was far more intimate. Here was her own face, drawn on her by none other than Chat Noir, pun extraordinaire, who apparently also had a thing for those darn glittery pens—each line was written in a different color. Maybe she would see him tonight...

_"princess?"_

_"Where?"_

_"just wait for me :3_

_"see you later"_

"Chat's coming to see me later! Tikki, what do I do?"

"Take a picture, Marinette!"

"Oh, right!" She snapped pictures of both of her legs, thrilled at the possibilities. "I have to call Alya!" Marinette picked up her phone and waited for the line to connect.

"Girl, we're seeing each other in an hour. What couldn't wait that long?"

"My soulmate wrote on me!"

"I'm coming over now, and you'd better give me all the deets!"

"Of course! See you soon." Alya hung up first, leaving Marinette to sit and ponder. "Tikki, what if Chat doesn't really like me for Marinette?"

"Of course he does. You're starting to like him for Chat Noir."

"That's true, but...you know, I always thought it was going to be Adrien. At least Chat has his Ladybug. Ladybug. He has _Ladybug_. I have _Chat Noir_. I can't tell _Alya_! She'll ask me to run around and follow her, but I can't do that if I'm being Ladybug! That'll put Alya in danger, and Chat would get distracted, and Hawk Moth will continue his reign of terror over Paris, and it's all _my_ fault for drawing a stupid green-eyed cat on my leg!" She let out a sound of distress. Being seventeen was definitely not easy.


	2. Spilled Ice Cream

Alya found Marinette still slumped into her pillows. "Girl, there is _no_ time for that! We have a soulmate to catch!"

Marinette groaned. "You mean _I_ have a soulmate to catch. _You_ already have yours!"

"So? We have to find yours! Come on, spill the name."

"Uh..."

"Did you even _ask_?"

"Well..."

Alya rolled her eyes, smiling all the while. "What am I gonna do with you, Marinette?"

"I don't know. I mean, he just drew over the Chat Noir thing I drew yesterday, so at least we like the same superhero."

Alya laughed, sitting on Marinette's bed with her. "Mari, you more than _like_ Chat Noir.

Marinette huffed. "D-do not."

"Suuure. You're almost as bad with him as you are with Adrien. By the way, if it's not Adrien, you might want to get rid of the rest of those posters. And your desktop. And your phone background. Even if it is, which is looking unlikely at this point, it's still a little creepy."

"Hey, the desktop isn't _just_ Adrien! It's a picture of Adrien _and_ _me_! We took it last winter when we went out for coffee."

"You can't argue with me about the rest, you know."

She sighed, defeated. "You're right. Will you help me take it down?"

Alya smiled. "Anything for you. Let's do this quick so we can meet Nino for ice cream. Come on, up." She pulled her friend to her feet and came up with a plan of action. "I'll tackle this side, you get that side, and we'll meet in the middle. And don't forget to change your phone background!"

Marinette gathered the posters in her arms. "Will you send me the picture you took of us by the Eiffel? Not the _good_ good one, the weird good one?"

"Sure thing!" Seconds later, Mari felt a buzz in her skirt pocket.

"Thanks!"

"No problem! Here, I think I got everything." Alya assessed the stack beside her. "You know, I'm proud of you. This would've been a lot worse even a year ago."

"Thanks, Alya." She added her stack to Alya's and dumped everything in her closet. "What? It feels rude to throw it away when we're friends with him!"

"Alright...just make sure your _soulmate_ understands."

"I will! I will. Gosh." Marinette picked up her purse and made sure that Tikki had snuck her way into it.

Tikki winked at her from inside, giving her a thumbs-up in the process.

Marinette smiled back and snapped her purse shut. "Alright, let's go!"

"I'll text Nino."

* * *

They met up with Nino at the park not long after.

"Hey, pretty lady!" He leaned over and gave Alya a kiss on the cheek. "Did you like the hearts I left for you?"

Alya grinned. "Sure did!"

"You two are gross."

The three of them turned and found Adrien waving at them. "Mind if I join you? My shoot got done early."

"Sure thing, man!" Nino gave him a gentle whack on the shoulder.

Adrien grinned. "So, Alya, Marinette, what's up?"

Marinette blushed but contained herself. "I, uh, got my soulmate drawing today."

The boys congratulated her.

"Tell them what he drew!"

"Uh, um. It was a…" She blanched at the thought of explaining everything. "A doodle of Chat Noir's face. I-in glitter pen."

"Not too different from mine, Nettie! 'Four PM: watch for Ladybug near _l'Arc de Triomphe_. Five PM: Help Marinette with French homework. Six PM: Kiss Nin—' Ow, hey!" Nino rubbed his arm in fake hurt.

"You _know_ that last one wasn't on the list."

Adrien grinned. "I remember my first one. Right after I started school with you guys: 'Don't forget about the history homework!' with a little heart drawn beside it." He touched his arm where he remembered the heart to be, leaving out the detail that it had been drawn as a ladybug heart.

Marinette fought the blush that crept into her cheeks. She knew that she drew hearts next to the notes she left herself, but if he didn't mention the ladybug spots…she pressed her lips together. No, it was Chat Noir, _not_ the gentle boy who sat in front of her. Not that she didn't like Chat as more than "just friends." He simply wasn't Adrien. "Th-that's nice, Adrien." She definitely wasn't his, either.

"Dude, I don't know how your lady's gonna figure it out. I've _never_ seen you write on yourself!"

Adrien shrugged. "I'll do it when the time is right. Besides, can't have pen on me for a shoot!" He laughed. "Thankfully, the soulmate marks won't show up in pictures. It's a good thing, too! That girl writes on herself _all the time._ " Excitement was clear in his eyes; he obviously had no problems with finding little notes and doodles.

Marinette frowned. _Hers_ had shown up in the pictures. What was up with Adrien's?

Alya let the reporter in her slip out. "Did you ever catch a name?"

"Just today, actually. But I want to wait to meet her as my soulmate. I want to be friends with her first, you know?"

Alya and Nino both nodded, Marinette following suit when she processed the words but quickly changing the subject.

"I, uh, I think it's a-all time we— _time we all_ get some ice cream? Okay? What do you want? Nino, chocolate? Alya, strawberry? Adrien…uh…" She squinted. She _knew_ this—probably as a result of stalking him, but it was still _somewhere_ in there.

"Pineapple."

 _Shoot._ "Pineapple, right. I'll, uh, be right back!" She turned on her heel and practically fled, fishing her wallet out of her purse.

Tikki smiled up at her. "You're doing a great job, Marinette. I know it's not easy for you to talk about."

She gave a weak smile. "Thanks, Tikki." Mari closed her purse and stood in line for a minute. After she paid, she carefully balanced the desserts in both of her hands and called a thanks out to the girl working. Now for the hard part: walking without tripping and spilling things. _I didn't think this through._

She managed to get to the table her friends had chosen just fine, _thankyouverymuch_ , until the ground dipped unexpectedly. Luckily, Alya was there to rescue her—and most of the ice cream.

"Girl, you know we could've paid or at least helped you." Alya handed the boys their cups before taking her own.

"I-it's fine! Really! I'll probably have to do it anyway after we graduate, anyway. Gotta pay those bills, haha!"

A chorus of disagreement met her ears, and she backed up half a step. "Woah, guys. Just being realistic."

Nino piped up. "From what Alya tells me, you'll be an intern somewhere before you know it. Maybe even _before_ we graduate!"

"You won that hat contest for my dad, remember? And the dress one six months ago. Don't be so hard on yourself, Marinette."

Adrien hardly ever said her name outside of greeting her, but when he did, it sounded like a dream. When she heard it and realized that she wouldn't hear it like that from _him_ but from _Chat Noir_ instead, she did what she felt was reasonable: burst into tears and ran off, leaving three stunned people at the table with an extra cup of vanilla.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried. I hope you like the second chapter! Also, I really like the idea of Nino calling Marinette "Nettie" for some reason. What do you think?


	3. Decorating

Marinette practically sprinted home. Sabine glanced up when she burst through the door without much of a greeting, concerned but preoccupied with a customer. Tom would be able to handle her.

When Marinette reached the kitchen and ran into Tom, he turned from his icing work to see what was going on. He didn't ask any questions, opting instead to pull her into a silent hug. She shrunk into his side, hiccupping. He reached up and pulled a box from the cupboard he was facing.

"W-what's that, Papa?"

"Cookie? It's snickerdoodle."

She nodded and took it. Snickerdoodle was her favorite. "Thanks, Papa."

He smiled and munched on his own cookie while his daughter finished hers, getting Tikki out for a small snack. Mari pulled up a stool when she was finished and sat beside him. "What are these for?" She motioned to the cupcakes.

"Birthday party. Want to help?"

"What do you need me to do?"

He needed _joyeux anniversaire_ written in green lettering, one letter on each cupcake. On the other six, the couple wanted little ladybug designs.

_How would they feel if they knew that Ladybug helped with these?_

Marinette did the letters while Tom took his time on the ladybugs, both finishing around the same time. Tikki sat and watched them, slowly snacking all the while.

"Papa?"

" _Ouais_?"

"Shouldn't we add Chat Noir somewhere?"

"That's what the green is for. But yes, we should. Look at the cupcake wrappers."

Marinette ducked her head to look at them and found tiny black cats. She smiled. " _C'est parfait_! Was that your idea?"

"I thought you'd be upset if you found out. I know how much you care about them both being included." He winked at her. She'd told them the year before, and they weren't really used to it yet, but they supported her doing it—for the safety of Paris, of course.

Mari kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Papa. Tikki and I are gonna head upstairs now. Call me if you need me."

Tom pulled her into a quick hug, planting a kiss in her hair. "Will do, bug."

Marinette wandered upstairs and checked her phone. "Oh, gosh, when did it die?" She plugged it in at her desk and stared at her computer screen. She and Adrien were laughing in the picture because she'd gotten whipped cream on her nose and couldn't wipe it off very well. She decided to leave the background up as she turned her phone on, worried about what would show up. She gave it a few minutes to calm down before turning the screen on.

_27 unread messages_

Most of them were from Alya, and she got to those first. _"I'm fine, no you don't need to come over, I'll call you tonight."_

Two were from Nino: _"hey nettie sorry about that. forgot it was a touchy subject." "text me if you need something, ok?"_

She thanked him before getting to the last message. It was from Adrien. _"I hope you're okay. Let me know if you want to talk."_

Mari paused. _"Can I ask you a question about your marks?"_

She sat back in her chair, surprised when her phone buzzed so quickly.

" _What do you wanna know?"_

" _Why won't yours show up in pictures? I took some, and the writing is showing up fine."_

The wait was a little longer for a response. _"Don't know. Can I see a picture of yours?"_

" _Yeah, hold on."_ Marinette cropped the picture to the drawing of her and sent that. _"He's quite the artist,_ non _?"_

She had no idea that he was grinning from ear to ear at seeing his work on her skin, so she kept typing. _"He has a thing for glitter pens, I guess. Not that I don't like them, I love them, I just thought I was the only one."_

" _The drawing is cute. Tell me more later, heading off to an afternoon shoot."_

" _Bye."_

* * *

"France entered World War I in nineteen…nineteen…" Marinette glanced at her study guide. "nineteen fourteen!" She sighed. World Wars were not her strong point even though she could tell anybody most anything about the Napoleonic period. "Why are we reviewing this stuff, Tikki?" She doodled on her wrist, loosely hoping that Chat would see the heart with ladybug dots.

"They just want you to be prepared for anything, Marinette. Even if you can look it up." She giggled.

"It's just so frustrating! I want to go into _fashion_ , not _history_!" She jumped at the sound of someone walking on her roof. Mari hid Tikki, figuring it would be more difficult to explain how Ladybug got into her room than anything else if she transformed. She brandished a pair of scissors as the door opened and out came—

Two ears? And blonde hair. And green eyes.

"Chat Noir, you almost gave me a heart attack!" She dropped the scissors and pouted. "Is this how you want to introduce yourself after what you told me today?"

He grinned at her. "I didn't know you liked striped jammies."

Marinette glanced down at herself. Sure enough, she was wearing yellow with thin black stripes on top and black with thin yellow stripes on bottom. "Well, I like stripes. Better than I like people sneaking up on me in the middle of the evening." She crossed her arms. "Anyway, prove it's really you."

"How?"

Mari thought about it while he dropped down. "Show me your left wrist."

He walked towards her and pulled everything he could away so she could peek at his skin. "See?"

She nodded. It was the same one she'd drawn. "Ugh, you dropped in on me looking like…this…" She gestured to all of her, old black and yellow PJs and disheveled hair to boot.

"Well, I think you look like _the bee's knees_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm implying that Alya sent Marinette 24 individual messages. To be fair, some were fixing spelling errors. Also yes, Adrien totally lied about the afternoon shoot. And maybe a little about the morning shoot. So, Adrinette if you turn your head a little, and finally a Marichat meeting! Also also yes, Mari is wearing black and yellow for the sole purpose of a bee's knees joke. Let me know what you think!
> 
> That's all I'm uploading today; the rest will come later this week.
> 
> Don't forget to check out my fanfiction wife Leisey's newest fic **Inferno** , which is celebrating her one year anniversary of writing fics. Keep up the good work, wifey!
> 
> xoxo -wwot


	4. Potential

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leisey twisted my arm into posting the rest tonight, so here we are...

Chat Noir loved the look on Marinette's face when he told a bad pun. In fact, the worst puns got the best reactions out of her.

"Oh my gosh, Chat. Bee's knees, really?"

He grinned at her. "It was that or the cat's pajamas."

" _Chat_."

He leaned on the wall, entirely amused. "So, princess, are you shocked?"

"About what?"

"About me."

"What _about_ you?"

"That we're soulmates, _chérie_."

"Oh." She took a breath. "Yes and no."

He raised an eyebrow, urging her to continue.

"Yes because I didn't expect to find that _Chat Noir_ , the hero of Paris, is my soulmate. No because the person I'd always hoped it would be isn't too different when you get to the heart of things." Mari motioned for him to sit as she readjusted in her chair. "Are _you_ surprised?"

Chat made himself comfortable, answering immediately. "No."

Marinette's mouth fell open.

"You write on yourself all the time, Marinette. It took me a couple months, but I figured it out."

"Months? And you didn't think to write on yourself?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Actually, it's been a couple years..."

" _Years?_ And you let me sit here wondering about it?!"

"I had to know if you liked me! Both in my real life and as Chat."

She frowned. "Well, what's the verdict?"

"I think you do. Maybe not, like, _romantically_ yet, but I think you see me as a friend at the very least. I see you that way, and I think we have potential to work."

Marinette pressed her lips together and nodded, quiet for a moment. "So, I know your secret identity? Not, like, know what it is. I mean, I guess I know what it is, just not that it's connected with you. Right?"

Chat started to laugh. "Yes. But I can't tell you yet. I think Ladybug would kill me if I didn't tell her what I was doing first." He paused to laugh more before continuing. "But other than that, I'll tell you as soon as you want me to. No pressure or anything."

Mari wasn't sure she wanted him to yet, even soon. It would probably mean coming clean about being Ladybug, and that was something that only her parents knew so far. "Just make sure you talk it over with Ladybug first, I guess."

"She's my partner. I kind of have to."

They sat in silence while Marinette doodled on her knee. "Chat?"

" _Ouais_?"

"In the long run, will you prioritize me or Ladybug?" It was a valid question; she knew how he acted toward Ladybug, but it had been toned down in the last few months. Not very much, but he was starting to grow out of it…or something.

He stammered while trying to answer. "Uh, I mean, I wouldn't _cheat_ on you with her or anything, but she's, um, a very important person in my life. Even if I don't know her secret identity. Protecting Paris will always be important to me, and Ladybug more important than that, but she..." Chat pressed his lips together momentarily. "I will prioritize you as much as I can, but the fact remains that there will be ruined birthdays and anniversaries because of my duty to Paris. As much as I want to say that we could make it work if you're not okay with that, it's a deal-breaker to me. Soulmate or not." All sincerity pooled in his eyes as he met Marinette's stare. _I'm sorry,_ he thought, _but that's not going to change_.

Her cheeks felt warm. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Chat. I would do the same thing in your shoes." She felt like that was the most honest she could be. "I haven't...there's a lot that you still need to know about me before you totally commit. I do like you, Chat, but I think we need to work on our friendship first. Not that we're _not_ friends, but...you know. I'm not spending my life with someone just because they're my soulmate and we're 'meant for each other.' I want to know that you're okay with who I am and my plans for the future. I...I don't think I'm easy to love, Chat, and I need someone who doesn't care if it's work, and I want you to want me not because it's fate or destiny or whatever, but because you _want_ to want me." Words stopped coming to her. "I-I'm sorry. That was a lot."

"Marinette."

Her ears reddened nearly as much as her cheeks. Hearing her name come from Chat Noir wasn't so bad after all. " _Ouais_?"

He gestured for her to join him on the chaise and continued talking when she had.

"I _do_ want to want you. As much as I love Ladybug, and as much as we're a team and a package deal, I don't want you to think that I will care about you any less. I mean that, and I will try my best to be those things for you. Obviously I can't do that all right now, but I'll try. But I agree with you for sure on one thing."

"What's that?"

"Friendship first."

Marinette smiled up at him. "I'm glad of that."

He cupped her cheek with one hand. "I'm not going to kiss you, but may I express my feelings physically?"

She didn't vocalize a response, instead wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him close. _He likes me for Marinette, not just for Ladybug!_

Chat squeezed her gently, pressing his cheek to her hair. "Is that a yes?" A grin spread across his face.

"Shut up, Chat. You're ruining your own moment." She pulled back and lightly smacked him on the arm, blushing when he grabbed her wrist.

"Gentle now, princess. Wouldn't want to damage the most charming superhero in all of Paris." He turned her hand to lightly kiss her knuckles.

"I thought you weren't going to kiss me." She grinned back at him, a mischievous look in her eye.

He rolled his eyes. "You knew what I meant."

_Damn_.

He loved that look on her face, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rereading things I wrote almost a year ago is so painful tbh


	5. L'Éditeur

Marinette handed her history quiz in. She wasn't as confident as she'd hoped to be on it considering that she'd had an unexpected visitor just _drop in_ on her study time— _quite literally_ , she thought. She giggled, thinking that Chat would probably love if she said that to him. She wouldn't, of course, but it was still funny. To a point, anyway.

"What's funny?"

Marinette met Alya's curious stare.

"Um, I just remembered a joke I heard."

"Well, spill it."

"Okay, um... _Comment s'appelle un chien qui vend des médicaments?_ "

"What?"

" _Un pharmachien._ " Mari smiled hopefully; she knew it was bad, but she also knew that she should tell it to Chat sometime.

Alya shook her head. "That was awful. I didn't know you had a thing for bad jokes, Mari."

"It-it's a recent development." She ran her fingers through one of her pigtails.

"If you say so. You're always complaining about those Chat Noir snippets I put on the Ladyblog, so what changed?"

"I, uh..." Marinette fought against blushing. Luckily—or unluckily, depending on how she looked at it later—another akuma attack was underway right outside the window. Marinette didn't even have to make an excuse to go transform, filing out with everybody and slipping into a closet at her earliest convenience.

When she approached the scene, Chat Noir was right behind her. "Too busy taking a cat nap to show up on time, Chat?"

" _Mais non!_ I just like the view from back here."

"Not the time, Chat. Where's the victim at?"

They jumped when they heard a shrill voice behind them. "Right before the _at_!"

Chat regained himself sooner than Ladybug. "Who is this lady? She sounds like my English tutor."

"I am l'Éditeur! It's unacceptable that so many common mistakes are easily avoided!"

"Well, there, their, _they're,_ it'll be alright!"

" _Really_ not the time, Chat! Where do you think it is?"

"Not sure. Let's split up and figure it out."

"Right-o."

Ladybug swung herself to a spot to watch and speculate while Chat continued to antagonize her.

"I thought you'd be taller, but I have less problems with you being shorter!" Chat dodged an ink blast from her red pen. "Sorry, but you can't edit me out of this story!" He launched himself to where Ladybug was hiding. "It's definitely the pen."

"But how do we grab it?"

"I'll distract her, you come and get it when I have it done." He didn't give her a chance to argue, which was unlike him. He was usually so ready to follow her lead, but now...what was going on?

Chat threw more bad grammar at l'Éditeur, rolling under and jumping over ink blasts.

Ladybug called for Lucky Charm, confused for a moment when a shield dropped into her hands. She figured it out, holding it in front of her to block the ink as she ran toward the fight.

"Cataclysm!" He blocked the ink blast that l'Éditeur sent him, hoping that Ladybug would take the opportunity to grab the pen.

She ran over the woman, pinning her arm with the shield. She grabbed the pen and broke it, quickly purifying the butterfly. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The heroes watched as the world returned back to normal, just as much in awe as the first time.

Chat's heart ached just a little; Ladybug was stunning in the afterglow of victory. But, if he had to be honest, Marinette was quickly stealing his heart. "My Lady?"

"Yes, Chat?"

"Can we meet up and talk later?"

"Um, why?"

"It's...I have a soulmate." He looked away. "Please, the usual spot?"

"Uh, sure I guess—oh!"

Chat Noir pulled Ladybug into a tight hug and released her when her earrings beeped. "I'll see you later." He ran off, leaving her standing.

"See you, Chat..."

* * *

Chat was just about to give up on Ladybug when he heard her land behind him. "I thought you bailed."

"No, I got caught up with, uh, work stuff."

"Right, the...family business." _Funny, guess we both have a family business. At least hers doesn't royally suck._

"Yeah. anyway, you wanted to talk?"

"I did. Yeah, I did."

"You said it was about your soulmate, right?"

"Yeah. Um..." He inhaled slowly, exhaled even slower. "As many times as I thought and wished it would be you, it's someone else."

"Do you like her?"

"I like her as my friend for sure. I think...we have the potential to work, you know? She's, you know, she's great. I want her to fall in love with me, just like I want to fall in love with her. She's wonderful, Lady."

The Marinette part of Ladybug blushed, but the Ladybug side kept her cool. "Chat Noir, we knew this could happen. You have my blessing if that's what you're asking for."

"That's not..." He sighed. "I'm going to tell her who I am. Who I _really_ am. When she asks, not before. That's a lot of pressure, you know? Ugh, of course you know."

"That's fine, Chat. Just promise me something, okay?"

"Anything for you, Bug."

"I want to know first. And I'll tell you who I am then, too. Is that fair?"

Chat blinked, trying to read Ladybug's eyes. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive, Chat. I don't want you running off on me entirely, do I?" She smiled over at him, unaware that he felt overwhelmed by having two beautiful young women in his life. "What do you say?"

"You...you were my first choice, Lady. But I'm not her first choice, either. I guess we'll have to make it work if we want it."

"I'm sure it will, Chat. You're great, and she'd be dumb not to see that. W-who is it, anyway?" _Well, I've never asked a dumber question._

"It's Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Lady, and she's anything but dumb. Clumsy, beautiful when flustered, gorgeous when determined, and stunning when she's lost in her work. She has a heart of gold and has to be the most genuine person I know. Other than you, of course."

"And here I was under the impression that you thought _I_ was stunning." She grinned. "She sounds great, Chat. I know her a little, but it sounds like you know her better."

"Oh hush. Just hush."

"If you insist."

"Lady?"

" _Ouais_ , Chat?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The joke that Mari tells Alya is something that I totally found on tumblr, and it's really only funny in French. "What do you call a dog who sells medication?" "What?" "A pharma-dog" (pharmachien instead of pharmacien). It's bad, don't judge me.


	6. More Like Ladybug

Marinette and Chat Noir were laying on her bed, her head in his lap. It had been an uneventful few weeks—other than Chat leaving drawings for her that nobody else would be able to find. She couldn't say that she minded if she were being honest because she found the gesture quite cute, but she wasn't about to let him know that. She didn't want to encourage him.

He had her hair loose, running his fingers through it as she read a book for class.

"Ugh. This is boring." She laid the book aside, staying otherwise still. "Will you tell me a story, _mon chèr_?"

"I don't know any good stories I haven't already told you. But here, let's watch some videos instead." He plucked her phone from her pillow and gave it to her to unlock. When she handed it back to him, he looked up a video he knew she liked.

"This again, Chat? We've seen this one at least five times."

"So? You know it's just as funny every time." He skipped ahead to the part he was talking about. "Here, watch."

Chat had pulled up a bloopers reel of _Whose Line Is It Anyway?_ and landed on a failed Irish Drinking Song, the lyrics being nothing but nonsense syllables strung together.

This had Chat and Marinette in fits of giggles.

He toyed with her hair while they let the rest of the video play, occasionally smirking but most often gasping for air.

Marinette sat up and bit her lip in the middle of a weather clip.

Chat paused the video. "What is it, Marinette?"

"I-I think I want to kiss you. But I…I'm not sure. It kinda scares me, you know?"

"Have you ever kissed anyone before?"

"Uh…" _You, but that was different._

"Rest assured that it's not as scary as people tend to think, but I'm not about to ask for anything you're not willing to give."

Mari pressed her lips together, nodding her thanks. She hugged her knees, aware of his eyes on her.

Chat went back to the video to help diffuse the tension.

"I'm sorry."

He paused the video again and looked back up at her. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I-I'm not an easy person to get to know or to love or to tolerate, and I know that, and part of me is scared that's why you waited for so long before telling me that we were soulmates. I wouldn't blame you if that's the case, you know? I'm sorry I'm moving so slowly, that I'm scared and unwilling to try harder. You should just…I don't know, pick someone else. Someone better, someone who's more…more confident, more determined, more graceful. Someone more like—" She hiccupped, wiping tears away with the heel of her hand and drying her hand on her shirt. "Someone more like Ladybug."

Chat let his hand hover over hers. "May I?"

She nodded, squeezing when his hand made contact.

"Marinette, would someone without confidence suggest new school activities?"

"Well, no."

"Would someone without determination keep running for class rep against Chloé?"

"I guess not."

"Would someone without grace make beautiful speeches for the whole class?"

"Uh…"

He held a finger up. "It's a different type of grace, I know, but it's still in the _cat_ -egory." He grinned, wiping more of her tears away with his thumb. "Marinette, you _are_ someone like Ladybug. Believe it or not, she's not always easy to get to know. She's stubborn and guards her feelings closely, but it's just as endearing on you as it is on her."

She released his hand and sunk into his side. "Oh."

Chat put an arm around her and kept talking. "I don't think you're hard to love. You're so easy to love, Nettie. I think you think that because you have a hard time loving yourself. Right?"

She nodded against his shoulder, a little confused by the nickname. Nino was usually the only person who called her that, and this _definitely_ wasn't Nino…

"Want to know something?"

"I guess."

"I will love you whether or not you love yourself, Marinette. If you want my advice on it, I'll be happy to share it; if not, no problem. And trust me when I say that most everybody struggles with it, too."

"Everybody says that, but almost nobody backs it up."

Chat took a deep breath. "Alright. Well. I'm most scared of being a disappointment. I don't want to let the people in my life down, especially you and Ladybug. I think if everybody knew I was Chat Noir, they'd expect so much more out of me. 'Model, superhero, heir…what can't he do?'"

"Model?"

"Uh. You know, as an example."

"Chat, are you telling me that you're a model?"

"Um. No?"

Marinette pulled back and stared at him for a second. "If you say so." She settled back against him, but she was starting to have suspicions.

"Anyway, my point is that it's not all fun and games under the mask." He pressed his lips together, afraid he'd said too much.

They sat quietly for a while. They sat quietly, but then she was there. She was there, _kissing him_. Her lips were soft on his, and listening to her gentle gasps for breath was wonderful. Her hands were graceful as they clutched at his hair; her palms, confident as they slid against his chest; her fingers, determined as they drew lines down and back up his arms to his hair. She knew it was sloppy and messy and probably not the best or most memorable kiss they'd ever have, but it certainly felt like it as he pulled her closer and slipped his head aside to nibble on her ear.

"Oh, Chat." Her voice was almost inaudible, nearly overtaken by the exhale she said it on.

He kissed his way down her neck, pulling gently on her skin every now and then. He trailed his lips across her collarbone to her shoulder, stopping to kiss her lips again.

Marinette pulled away after a short while and let her forehead rest on his. He could see just how pink her cheeks had become, the faint marks left on her shoulder. She started laughing softly. How could she let herself get into this?

"So," he whispered, "you're not sure if you want to kiss me?"

She smacked his chest while he grinned at her. "Don't ruin it, Chat."

He dragged a finger down her spine. "Oh?"

She stuck her tongue out at him and got out of his lap. "Never mind. Too late."

He gave a fake pout.

"Oh, you're fine." She laid back with her head on his knee, quiet again as he played with her hair. "Chat?"

"Marinette?"

"I think I want you to tell me who you are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Marinette has suspicions, but she wants them confirmed. Besides, she needs to tell Chat who she is! Sorry for the cliffhanger, but it was necessary. Probably.
> 
> For a bonus scene, check out _Epsilon_ on my story Sparkly Blue! It takes place before the next chapter :)
> 
> xoxo -wwot


	7. Movies and Crêpes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you missed the note on the last chapter: if you head on over to Sparkly Blue and read _Epsilon_ before you read this chapter, you'll get a bonus scene!

It was the vulnerability that had done her in, really.

Maybe it led into oversharing on Chat's part, but she realized that she really did love him right then. She hadn't always loved him—not like that, anyway—but it was definitely a fact for Marinette. And, as any reasonable person in love, she kissed him. He was surprised at first, but easily fell into kissing her. And goodness, it was wonderful. His hands tightened on her back, his slight stubble grazed her neck. It was almost too much for her, especially when his lips found that bruise she still had on her shoulder from the most recent akuma.

Then she asked him to reveal his secret identity. And here they were, nearly two weeks later, having barely spoken after the argument it caused.

Marinette was curled on her bed. The start of summer had come and gone, but she was still in bed. At least it was raining today; she could use that as an excuse.

"I didn't mean to upset him, Tikki. I just got curious."

"He knows that, Marinette. Just let him get used to the idea, and then he'll come back. Remember that he has to deal with telling you _and_ Ladybug."

"But I _am_ Ladybug."

"Chat Noir doesn't know that."

Mari sighed. "You're right, Tikki. I hadn't thought about that."

"You'll be fine, Marinette, and so will Chat Noir. In the meantime, go to the movies with Alya. I'm sure she misses you. Look, it's dialing." Tikki handed Marinette her phone, smiling hopefully at her.

"Girl, where have you been? Everybody's been asking."

"Uh, some stuff came up and…stuff."

"Whatever. Anyway, I was just about to text you. Wanna hang out with Nino, Adrien, and me? We're seeing that new movie the boys are interested in."

"Which one?"

"The horror one. We can see something else and let the boys have their fun and meet up for crêpes later if that sounds better."

Marinette took a deep breath. "Yeah, that sounds better."

"I thought it would. I'll come get in you in two hours. How does that sound? Is that enough time to get ready?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Alya."

"Anything for you, Mari. See you then!"

"See you." Mari hung up and let her phone fall on her pillow.

"See, Marinette? That wasn't so bad."

"Well, no, but it wasn't great, either. Now I have to see Nino and Adrien, too."

"They'll be perfectly understanding. I'm positive they've missed you, too."

"You're probably right. What should I wear that isn't… _this_?" Mari gestured to the black and yellow pajamas she'd left on in case Chat Noir decided to end his reign of silence.

"Wear the green dress. It makes you happy."

"Alright." Marinette half rolled out of bed, rubbing her eyes. She showered and tugged the dress on. Tikki, of course, was right. The dress fit her perfectly, and so made her happy. _Perks of making it, I guess._

She put on some makeup since she had time left to spare and decided to grab a quick bite.

Both of her parents were surprised to see her out of her room on a rainy day; she usually reserved such days for sewing and other projects.

"Talked to Alya. Seeing a movie. Crêpes later with the boys."

"Have fun!"

"Thanks."

* * *

"Hey, Nino, there's the girls!" Adrien clapped Nino on the shoulder; the movie had been just as gory as promised, and it was perfectly plotless. The boys kept quoting lines even as they greeted the girls.

"Well, I guess you liked your movie. Come on, Mari and I are starving." Alya grabbed Nino's arm and pulled him along, leaving Marinette and Adrien behind.

"Did you like your movie, too?"

Mari looked up at Adrien; he'd gotten taller while his face had lost its roundness. "Yeah, I did. It's nice to get out."

"Yeah, you disappeared as soon as school let out. I know that was a week and a half ago, but that's not like you. What happened?"

She'd looked forward so she didn't lose Alya and Nino, so she didn't see the odd look on Adrien's face. He, however, could see how her jaw clenched ever so slightly before she answered. "Just some personal stuff. It was with my, ah, soulmate, I guess. But I'm starting to question if he even wants me as his soulmate." She laughed sadly. "I'm sorry. I haven't even told Alya this yet."

"No, go on."

She shook her head a little. "It's alright. It's my own fault, honestly. I kissed him and started talking about something he's rather, erm, sensitive about. Then we got into an argument, and I haven't seen him since. It was our first kiss, too. Our first real kiss, anyway."

Adrien kept his face forward, sure that he would crack if he looked at Marinette. "How was it?"

She stared at him in surprise. "The kiss? Adrien, you should know I'm not one to kiss and tell." She scoffed. "I wouldn't even tell Alya that. It's…it's personal." She blushed while she spoke. If she were forthcoming, she'd say that it was quite wonderful despite her inexperience. "A-anyway, how are things with your, uh, person?"

Adrien took a deep breath. "They've gone better. But she's still— _we're_ still on the same page, I mean. Not yet, but we will be."

"So you're _not_ on the same page?"

He crossed his arms. "No, but we're at least in the same book. I still want to try, and I get the impression that she still wants to try, so there's that."

Marinette nodded. "I'm happy for you both."

Adrien didn't say anything as he opened the door for her. She noticed his ring—not for the first time—and she was about to ask when Alya interrupted by handing her a crêpe. "They had your favorite already made, Mari. Go find us a seat?"

Marinette took the crêpe and sat down in the corner, picking the spot with the best view of the doors and windows. It was a habit she'd picked up so she could see if there was an attack going on. It happened right outside of where she was so often that Mari started to think she had the luck of Chat Noir, which should only happen if she were near him.

She started piecing together what she knew while she waited on her friends because she'd been too sad to try it before. _He called me Nettie, which is mostly exclusive to Nino, but it's not Nino, so it must be one of Nino's friends—and one of mine because he said so. I have to spend a lot of time with him as his secret identity because he's never far away. He also said that he's a model. And his Miraculous is a ring. Who wears a ring all the time?_

_Oh my gosh._

_Adrien._

_It has to be Adrien._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Finally, Nettie_


	8. What Tipped You Off?

Marinette sat in stunned silence.

_Chat Noir is Adrien Agreste._

Why else would he be asking where she'd been? Well, she _had_ practically disappeared, but for all he knew that was normal in the summer. Okay, he _did_ know better than that so soon in the season, but Nino wouldn't have bothered her with it. Alya would, but she also knew when Mari needed space.

Amongst all that, a more pressing question came to her mind: _If Adrien is really Chat, what happened to cause all the awful puns?_

"Mari, you look like you've seen a ghost. Care to share?" Alya and Nino sat across from her, leaving Adrien— _Chat Noir!_ —to sit beside her.

"N-no. I'm good." She plastered a fake smile onto her face.

"Whatever, Mari. Anyway, I'm telling you boys, there have been Ladybug sightings for the past couple weeks without Chat Noir. It's more than a little weird."

"Maybe he's on vacation," Adrien suggested.

"Or maybe he's having romance problems and decided to approach things the hard way." Marinette kept her tone even, but it was something in the way her shoulders tightened that made everybody curious.

"Or _maybe_ he doesn't want to hurt the people he loves."

Marinette and Adrien stared at each other, now oblivious to Alya and Nino.

"Well, maybe he's making everything worse by being a coward about it."

"Maybe he doesn't know how to be brave enough to admit it!"

"Maybe he should figure out that he's being more of a disappointment to everybody by avoiding the problem!"

Adrien kept staring at Marinette, all the energy leaving his body.

Marinette looked back to her crêpe. "I'm sorry. Chat Noir's business isn't really my business to guess. He's probably hurting."

"Yeah."

"So, anyway, Alya, tell me more about your movie."

"Right, Nino! There was this girl, she wanted to be a lawyer, but her parents said that she had to get married before she started work at a law firm, and…"

Marinette would have fled if Adrien weren't in her way. Maybe it was for the best; she'd already accused him of avoiding the problem anyway. Her phone buzzed while Alya described the details of the movie. When she looked at it, it was a message from Adrien.

" _I guess you know. What tipped you off?"_

" _You called me Nettie. Only Nino calls me that for the most part. And you said you were a model. How many models do I know?" "Also, I'm sitting right next to you."_

" _I'm aware of that. I just wanted to confirm that you knew." "Promise me you won't tell Ladybug that you figured it out."_

Mari pressed her lips together. _"I'll tell her if she should ask me for some reason. Other than that, I won't let the cat out of the bag."_ She smiled to herself. Maybe that would help bridge the rift she'd caused.

Adrien choked and coughed into his elbow.

"Dude, you alright?"

He nodded, giving a thumbs up despite watery eyes. "Just tried to breathe a crêpe."

"Careful. Anyway, then she meets with the competing law firm…"

Mari's phone buzzed again.

" _I might kiss you for that later."_

" _Might?"_

" _You'll have to wait and see."_

"Mari, what was that line again?" Alya tapped on the table as she tried to remember it.

"Uh, which one?"

"When Leïla turns down the bad firm."

"Oh! 'You can keep your law firm _and_ your dog!'" The girls laughed as they remembered the scene, leaving the boys very confused.

* * *

Marinette was reading a book that most would find pretty boring—to be fair, it was about different sewing techniques, so it was rather pertinent to her future line of work. Hopeful future line of work. She jumped with she heard something on her balcony. She stood up in front of her bed. "Chat?"

He dropped in without hesitation. "Have I told you that you look beautiful in green?"

Marinette blushed. "Um, no."

Chat Noir slowly bridged the distance between them. "I'm sorry I disappeared. I was scared."

"I'm sorry I hurt you. I didn't think about your feelings."

Forgiveness flooded into their gaze as he drew nearer and held her face in his hands.

"Chat?"

" _Ouais_?"

"Why did you run off?"

He dropped his hands to her shoulders. "I—you scared me with the thought of revealing everything to everybody. I know I yelled at you, and I'm sorry I did."

"I forgive you."

"Marinette?"

"Yes?"

"What made you ask me?"

She rested her hands on his hips. "Because I thought that you having the courage to tell me your secret would give me strength to share mine. I—I'll tell you, I promise. I just need some time to sort it out in my head." Mari leaned forward and let her nose rest on his. "I'm sorry I caught you off guard with it. You were being so vulnerable, and I didn't consider your feelings like I should have because I made a stupid assumption."

"You're forgiven."

Marinette nodded her thanks, relaxing into his grasp when his hands found her face again.

"May I kiss you now?"

She didn't answer, kissing him instead.

He took his time in kissing her back, letting her set the pace like before. He was, however, quick to reciprocate those little touches and grabs and eventually pulled her closer. She stood up taller, enjoying the feel of his hair in her hands and his hands on her hips. She turned her head just enough to mutter, "Pick me up, Chat."

He obliged and bent down and gently grasped under her thighs, avoiding her bed to hold her against the wall. She locked her ankles behind him, holding onto his shoulders.

Where the last kiss had been sloppy, this one was nothing but mutual emotion. He kissed his way down her neck as far as he could before returning to her lips, enjoying the pressure of her breathing against his chest.

They pulled back and laid their foreheads together again.

"Chat?"

" _Ouais?_ "

"Can we cuddle?"

He put her down and let her lead him to her bed. She curled up and invited him to spoon with her.

"You…you don't have to stay as Chat Noir if you don't want to." Marinette played with his fingers on her stomach.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright." A flash of green light, and Adrien and Plagg sat there instead. Adrien shooed Plagg, promising cheese later. He settled behind Marinette, planting soft kisses on her shoulder. "Anyway."

"Kiss me again, Adrien."

"But why?"

She thought for a moment. "Do you know how much all the cats in the world weigh?"

He shot her a confused look. "How much?"

"Nobody knows for sure, but it must be an _ocelot._ "

Adrien grinned. "Marinette, I didn't know you liked cat puns."

She grinned back, shifting so he could kiss her easier. He was half on top of her, and this one was gentle and slow. She grasped behind his shoulders, pulling him closer. Their breathing was shallow but easy. He kissed her cheek when she started gasping a little too much. "Easy, Nettie."

"Hush, Chat."

He laughed softly, burying his face in her neck.

"Adrien!"

He kissed there softly, letting his lips slip closer to her shoulder. He looked up at her, gently pulling the strap of her dress to expose her skin. "May I?"

Marinette nodded her consent, so he nibbled softly on the spot and kissed and sucked on it after a while. Her hands clenched in his hair and her cheeks flamed red as he darkened the spot until she gave a soft cry from the pain. He kissed it once more and shifted his weight beside her again.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Doing alright?"

She hummed an answer, smiling. "Someone needs to be a little more _gentle_."

"Hm. Maybe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh these two are too much to handle
> 
> Also, that ocelot pun is a Wizard Original™


	9. Two Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, not sorry

"Lady, I have to talk to you!"

"Not now, Chat! We're a little busy!"

"It's about Marinette!"

" _Not now, Chat!_ " Ladybug rolled under the swing of Doctor Hypno's watch and swung her yoyo at her opponent's ankles, frustrated when her attack was deflected.

"Okay, this is _not_ what the doctor ordered!" Ladybug hid behind a car to catch her breath and jumped out when she heard Chat Noir yelp.

"Hey, watch out!"

Ladybug ran and pushed Chat over so he wouldn't be hit again. "You need to be on your game, Chat. We'll talk later." She rolled off of him and pulled him with her. "It's in her pocketwatch."

"Gee, Ladybug. I wouldn't have guessed that."

She shot him a look. "Let's try one more attack before I use Lucky Charm. I'll try and grab it—" She was interrupted by a car smashing behind them. "Or we can start now. Great."

They rolled in opposite directions to divide Hypno's attention.

"Lucky Charm!" An apple fell out of the sky.

"You know what they say, Lady! 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away!'"

" _Chat._ "

Ladybug threw the apple as hard as she could, excited that it dislodged the watch into Chat's grasp. He threw it to her, and she cleansed it. "Bye bye, _petit papillon!_ "

The poor woman questioned where she was as Ladybug called out, "Miraculous Ladybug!" She didn't even bother to watch as the wrongs were righted as she caught Chat by the wrist and dragged him off to an abandoned building.

She ignored when her earrings beeped, starting in on him anyway. "Chat, what in the _hell_ were you thinking? That was stupid and reckless and it most _certainly_ could've waited until we were finished!"

Chat felt a lump in his throat. Ladybug _never_ swore unless it was bad—so he was in deep, deep trouble. "I'm sorry."

"You'd better be! You put me in danger, you put civilians in danger, you put _yourself_ in danger…" She rubbed her forehead. "What's gotten into you? We used to communicate so well until you got involved with stupid Marinette, and I feel like you're not even bothering to try anymore. And, Adrien, I know you said that I'd be a priority but that Ladybug and Paris would ultimately have to come first, but I'm not sure you actually _understand_ that. Trying to tell me _anything_ while we're fighting that isn't pertinent to the current situation just ends up badly. How haven't you figured that out?" Ladybug crossed her arms and turned away from him. "I'm not even sure it's a good idea to keep trying if it gets in the way of protecting Paris."

"Ladybug? How did you...?"

"Oh, come on, you haven't figured it out?" A flash of pink, and Marinette stood before Chat Noir. "So much for putting Ladybug over me."

"Marinette—"

"Shut up, Adrien. I'm not even close to being done."

He shrunk away; an angry Marinette was not a force to be reckoned with.

She avoided his stare while she gathered her thoughts. "I'm glad that you're trying to communicate with me about it, I really am, but I wish you'd think about it before picking the most inopportune time to tell me anything. This isn't some bad pun, Chat, this is us being in real, actual danger, and your head isn't totally with it. When you told me that Paris would come first, I believed you. Why isn't it coming first, Chat? Why are you putting me in the way of that?"

Mari blinked as Chat Noir turned back into Adrien. "I'm sorry."

"You said that."

"I know I did. I still mean it."

They were silent for a moment, fully exposed for the first time. No more secrets to hide behind, no more half-truths pretending to be the entirety of the matter.

"I prioritized you over Paris because I fell more in love with you than I thought I could."

"It's been five or six weeks, Adrien."

"For you, maybe. It's been years for me to fall in love with you!"

"And whose fault is that?"

"Hey, you didn't tell me that you were Ladybug, either."

"Because when I found out it was Chat Noir I knew that you'd only love me for being Ladybug. I wanted to be loved for _Marinette_ and not for some superheroine who only shows up when things need fixed. Besides, I wasn't ready to tell you right away, I was sort of planning to tell you today anyway, and I might've told you sooner if you hadn't run off and left me when I asked about it!"

"That's hardly fair considering you cornered me when you figured it out."

"As I recall, _Adrien_ , I was sitting in the corner. You had every opportunity to get up and leave if you were uncomfortable."

"I don't run from uncomfortable situations because I'm not you, _Marinette._ "

Her jaw dropped open, the pain in her chest seeping into her arms and stomach.

"What, cat got your tongue?"

Marinette slumped to the floor, still speechless. It took her a few moments to muster enough energy to talk. "I think you need to leave."

"Why, because you're desperate for escape but you don't want to actually do it? I think you're too scared to admit that maybe we're supposed to work but that we were doomed from the start. Maybe fate or the universe or whatever couldn't predict that we'd end up falling for each other the wrong way first and an even _wronger_ way second."

"'Wronger' isn't a word, Adrien."

"I don't care! My point is that we have two options from here. We can either leave and let this hurt us and pretend that we're doing fine when we're not and end up with people who only make us sort of happy, or we can decide to make this work."

"Or we can agree to sort it out later. We're both tired and sensitive. Maybe we should think on it before making any decisions."

He rolled his eyes. "I used to think that your indecisiveness was endearing, but now it feels like an avoidance technique."

"Maybe I don't like to make uninformed, rash decisions. I've never told you this because I didn't want you to think lesser of me, but I think long and hard about continuing to put on the earrings week after week. I know that Paris needs its heroes, but I also know the toll it's taking on me. I'm more forgetful, if anything. I barely had time for schoolwork last semester, and Alya keeps being busy with Nino, so my social circle is limited to outings with them and you and…well, other you. Anyway, maybe I like to sit and think about things because I'm tired of being alone except for Tikki, but I'm scared that if we do keep trying, we'll end up like this again in a month or a year. I don't want that to happen because I know it'll hurt so much worse in the long run if we don't end it now if things turn south, but I'm scared of regret. You can make whatever decision you want to whenever you want, but I'm not going to make one right here after we've had an argument about it."

Adrien pressed his lips together. "Two days. Then tell me. I don't want to wait forever."

Marinette nodded. "That's fair. Two days. The usual spot?"

"Yeah. I'll see you then."

"Two days."

"Two days."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, did anybody order a chapter with a side of angst? No?


	10. Decisions

"What if she doesn't show up, Plagg?"

"Calm down. You're two hours early. Since when has Marinette or Ladybug ever failed to show up? Yeah, Marinette's late all the time, but she's pretty reliable otherwise. She'll be here."

Adrien pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. He'd had to wait for two entire days to hear her decision even though his mind had been made up well before their most recent argument. As a matter of fact, that's what he was setting out to tell Ladybug in the first place. And then they'd had the argument. To be fair, his timing _was_ awful, and he knew that Ladybug was quite touchy about unnecessary conversation when they were in the middle of something. So, not the best life choice, but he wasn't about to replicate it any time soon.

Adrien shook himself awake and looked at his phone to see how long he'd been sleeping.

She was late.

* * *

Ladybug stumbled along a few minutes later.

"You're late."

"I know. I'm sorry. I got caught by some people along the way who don't understand the whole 'important superhero business' thing. I guess it's not _totally_ superhero business. It's personal business about a superhero, so technically superhero business, but mostly personal, but they don't need to know that, right?"

Adrien smiled to himself. Now _there_ was the Marinette he'd fallen in love with. "Well, it has to do with the future of Paris' most beloved crime-fighting duo."

"We don't fight _that_ much crime. Mostly just evil magic." Ladybug sat beside where Adrien was laying.

"Fair enough, but you have to admit that the crime rate's gone down since we got in the business."

She shrugged. "True."

They stayed silent for a while, watching the foot traffic below.

"Nettie?"

" _Ouais_ , Chat?"

"Did you make up your mind?"

Her shoulders tightened as she held her gaze on a few straggling tourists. "Yes."

"Is that a, 'Yes, but I don't like it,' or a, 'Yes, but you won't like it'?"

"Both?"

"Do you want me to go first?" Ladybug nodded at him, so he sat up and reached for her hand. When his grasp was secure, he continued. "I had this whole thing written out like two weeks ago? Maybe three?"

"Where you were going to choose me over me?"

He smiled and shook his head. "Basically, yeah. That was before I knew, you know."

"I know."

"Anyway, that got thrown out the window with the revelation, but the basic premise is still there. I love you, Marinette. I don't love you because I have to or because it's destiny, but because I want to love you and show you that I do genuinely care about you and your wants and needs." He held up a hand to stop her from talking. "I know I _pined_ over you as LB for years, and it was time for me to _branch_ out from that _prickly_ situation that resulted—"

" _Adrien_ —"

"—but the fact that you were the one I wanted in the first place is just perfect. I was going to love you no matter who it was under the Ladybug mask. She may have been my first love, but I was determined to love you anyway. Now that the illusion of choice is gone, I tried and tried to figure out how to make it work. I don't just want one of you now that I can have both of you, and I want to try juggling both. If and when it doesn't work, we'll talk it over again and figure it out from there. I mean, it's not like we won't have time to spend together." He winked at her, toying with her fingers. "I guess my point is that I was never going to choose between you and you as long as it was both you and not you and someone else, but I would've chosen you if the other you wasn't really you."

"Because _that's_ not confusing."

"Oh, I know. It took me forever to wrap my head around the fact that both of you were you. Anyway, what do you think?"

"I think you said everything. I…I love both of you, too, and I want to try juggling everything."

"Alright then."

"Adrien?"

" _Ouais_?"

"I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"I forgive you. For the record, you had every right to say what you said, just not how you said it."

"That's fair."

"I'm sorry that I wasn't forthcoming in the first place and jeopardized what we had."

"I can't say that I would've responded differently." She smiled at him.

"Question."

"Answer."

"I've kissed you as Marinette, but can I kiss you as Ladybug?"

Ladybug leaned over and pecked his cheek. "How's that?"

Adrien pouted. "Not exactly what I had in mind."

"In that case…you'll have to catch me for it!" She jumped up and bounded away while he transformed, leading him on a roundabout route to l'Arc de Triomphe.

He landed on the opposite side that she had, approaching at the same pace so they met almost perfectly in the middle.

"You know the tabloids will be all over this, right? They'll start saying that I'm pregnant with your triplets."

Chat laughed. "It's worth it." He reached out and held her close. "May I kiss you, my lady?"

"You may, _mon chèr_."

Chat leaned his head down and kissed her. It was a little more chaste than what he wanted to do in the situation, but they _were_ on top of a popular tourist attraction in the middle of summer.

When they broke apart, she asked if he realized how many pictures would be taken of the two of them.

"I'm gonna guess at least six."

Ladybug laughed. "Well, you're not wrong. Alya's gonna kill us when we come clean about everything, you know."

"Oh, I know."

A scream from not too far off shifted their attention.

"Well, duty calls, kitty."

"Duty calls."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the end! Very close, though. I'm thinking one more epilogue-like chapter because I still have a priceless pun to include.


	11. Epilogue

"Adrien! Hurry up, it's freezing!"

"It's September, you're fine!"

"You know I get cold easily, so hush." Marinette dragged him inside the coffee shop and ordered for the both of them, protesting when Adrien got his wallet out.

"Nope. My turn, remember?"

"It's been your turn three times in a row. I think you're cheating."

He winked at her. "Do not pass Go. Do not collect two hundred dollars."

The barista smiled when she saw the matching doodles on their wrists. Serving young soulmates was one of her favorite things to do.

When she was done, Adrien took their drinks and sat them down near the door; he knew that Mari liked to make a quick escape in an emergency.

"So."

"So."

A grin passed over Adrien's face. "Nettie, you know how they have all those red teas dedicated to Ladybug?"

"Ugh, especially the ones with the little, uh, bubble ball thingies?" She made a face and shivered. "Yeah, _thanks_ , Paris. Why?"

"I know what they should do for her kitty counterpart."

Mari raised an eyebrow.

" _Hot Chat-colate._ "

" _Adrien._ "

He laughed so loud that the other patrons glanced over at him, resuming their various activities when he was no longer interesting.

"You know, if you found a way to get rid of those awful teas, I could suggest something like that. Especially with the temperature dropping so steadily."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Most people in here are still wearing short sleeves, you know. You're in long sleeves _and_ a scarf."

"Hey, I get chilled easily, so I can just pull the sleeves down if that happens. As for the scarf…a certain _someone_ can't keep their hands to themselves." She glared at him while he grinned. Everything was far more interesting when he could tease her as Chat Noir as well.

"I think you mean lips, _chérie._ "

"I will walk out of here without you."

"And I will ever pursue you, my lady love."

She couldn't keep the smile from her face. "You're such a dork."

"But I'm _your_ dork. You picked me, remember?"

"No need to be so _triumphant_ about it."

"Marinette, my goodness. I thought you were starting to lose your sense of humor."

She smiled smugly. "I reserve it for special occasions. Speaking of special occasions…" She reached into her purse, pulled out a wrapped box, and slid it across the table.

"What is this?" Adrien untied the bow and carefully worked at the tape to shimmy the box from the wrapping. "I love it." He grinned and held up the box of glitter pens so she could take a picture to send to Alya and Nino. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I noticed that you haven't been using them lately."

"I guess I use them too much. _Someone_ likes seeing them all over her knees."

"Shut up."

They finished their drinks and walked out together, leaving their cups at the counter.

"As beautiful as autumn is, I really love the spring."

"Did you _fall_ in love with it?"

"You're lucky I like you."

He slung an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Darn. You see, I kind of have this thing for another beautiful lady. You might know her, her name's Ladyb—"

Marinette interrupted him with a kiss to the cheek. "Quiet, now."

"Come on, nothing more?"

Her eyes flashed that look that he so loved, and she broke free of his grasp and yelled over her shoulder, "Only if you catch me!"

Adrien ran after her and caught up on a bridge. He caught her around the waist, pinning her arms to her sides. He kissed her ear while she shrieked happily and put her down so she could face him. "You look beautiful in coral."

She toyed with her scarf, pleased that she'd dyed it the exact same shade as her skirt. "Yeah, what about yellow?"

"You're the bee's knees."

She leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "What about green?"

He grinned. "The cat's pajamas."

Marinette drew a line down his chest, a smile growing on her own face. "Well, I quite like you in _black_." She laughed when he turned as red as Ladybug.

He hugged her and hid his face against her neck, knowing she enjoyed the gesture when he had a little stubble.

She swore softly, her own face turning scarlet. "Adrien?"

"Hmm?"

"Wanna transform and go back to my place for some more _Hot Chat-colate_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this was my first fic, everybody! I originally published it in May 2016 (about ten months prior to posting it here on ao3). On my ffn account, I have appropriately thanked the people who left me reviews over there. Please feel free to comment, and don't forget to check out Sparkly Blue for some bonus scenes from this story :) Also, check out Off the Hook for my yarnbomb au!
> 
> And give Leisey a huge thanks for making me post the rest tonight!
> 
> xoxo -wwot


End file.
